The Broken Nuclear Umbrella
Foreign Affairs | 2026-07-02 | defense
Topics: Europe, Nuclear, United States
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English Summary
The article argues that the U.S.'s extended nuclear deterrence—the foundational security guarantee for allies in Asia and Europe—is fundamentally compromised. Historically, this system relied on the high stakes of the Cold War to ensure US commitment to prevent allied conquest. However, the geopolitical environment has changed dramatically since those times, undermining the credibility of the American commitment. This erosion of assurance forces allies to reassess their security posture, potentially destabilizing regional alliances and requiring a major strategic re-evaluation of global defense architectures.
中文摘要
本文論述美國提供的延伸核威懾——這是亞洲和歐洲盟國的基礎安全保障——正受到根本性的質疑。歷史上，這一體系依賴於冷戰時期的高風險博弈來確保美方承諾防止盟友遭受征服。然而，自當時以來，地緣政治環境已發生巨大變化，削弱了美國承諾的可信度。這種安全保障的動搖迫使盟國重新評估其安全態勢，這可能導致區域聯盟的不穩定，並要求對全球防禦架構進行重大的戰略再評估。
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